


the road, the sky

by kiyala



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:57:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7291363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm going on a road trip over the summer break."</p><p>Yahaba raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Who with?"</p><p>Hesitating for a moment, Kyoutani looks up at the sky. Yahaba waits, unsure if he should let himself hope. At length, Kyoutani shrugs and says, "My dog, probably."</p>
            </blockquote>





	the road, the sky

**Author's Note:**

> written for kyouhaba week day 6 - travel!
> 
> art by the lovely [ali](http://pugsephone.tumblr.com/)!

It's late in the afternoon, with the sun sinking into the horizon, giving everything a golden glow. Yahaba follows a familiar path that he hasn't walked in weeks, past his old school, up a hill and down another, following the winding footpath until he gets to a park, tucked neatly in between two blocks of houses. 

He still has his phone in his hand, from when he'd received a message asking if he was still in the area. He tightens his grip on it as he sees the familiar shape of someone lounging on one of the benches, head tipped back, one knee drawn up to his chest. 

Warm colours have always suited Kyoutani, Yahaba thinks. The glow of the sunset looks good against his skin, in his hair, and Yahaba swallows hard, taking a deep breath. It's only been a few months since graduating high school, taking their entrance exams, and then beginning university. He's seen Kyoutani in that time, but it always hits him hard, seeing him for the first time in days, or weeks. He's still getting used to the fact that they don't see each other all the time. 

Kyoutani cracks an eye open, but waits for Yahaba to approach. It's not until Yahaba is sitting beside him on the bench that he wets his lips and says, "Hey."

"Hey," Yahaba replies, leaning back against the bench, pretending not to notice the press of their shoulders against each other. Kyoutani is warm. Yahaba's missed that, too. "Here, I got you a present."

Kyoutani blinks both eyes open when Yahaba hands over the plastic bag he's been carrying, looking inside. He grins as he pulls out some _Kara Age Kun_. "Thanks. Do you want some too?"

"Are you sharing with me?" Yahaba widens his eyes. "Have you learned some manners, Kyoutani-kun?"

"Fuck off," Kyoutani snickers, and shoves a Kara Age Kun into his mouth, snorting when Yahaba wrinkles his nose. 

"You're just as rude as ever," Yahaba sighs, and wishes it didn't come out sounding so fond. 

Kyoutani finishes eating, then takes a breath. "I'm going on a road trip over the summer break."

Yahaba raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Who with?"

Hesitating for a moment, Kyoutani looks up at the sky. Yahaba waits, unsure if he should let himself hope. At length, Kyoutani shrugs and says, "My dog, probably."

"Typical," Yahaba snorts, unsure if he feels relieved or disappointed. "Pick a travel companion who you won't have to make conversation with." 

"I talk to Kenji all the time," Kyoutani says defensively. "Probably more than I actually talk to people."

"That wouldn't surprise me at all," Yahaba mutters, trying to hold back the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet," Kyoutani replies, and that's typical of him too. He absolutely is the kind of person who can just get into a car and drive somewhere without really caring about his destination. Yahaba envies him for it, just like he envies Kyoutani for the fact that he has a car and a driver's license at all. 

Aoba Jousai, like most schools, isn't particularly keen on their students being able to drive. Kyoutani, as he is with everything else in life, didn't really let that stop him when he turned eighteen. He just made sure not to get caught, and now he's apparently confident enough behind the wheel to go on road trips, while Yahaba and most of their cohort are still taking public transport everywhere. 

"Well, wherever it is," Yahaba murmurs, closing his eyes and enjoying the lingering warmth of the last bit of sunlight for the day, "I'm sure you'll have fun."

 

 

* * *

 

 

It's not that Yahaba forgets about it, because he is generally incapable of forgetting about most things that pertain to Kyoutani, but he never really asked for details about Kyoutani's road trip. It comes as a surprise one morning, when he opens up Instagram to find that Kyoutani has posted a photo of his dog, with two packed bags beside him. The caption reads, `Kenji's ready for an adventure`. 

[](http://pugsephone.tumblr.com/post/146429034654/)

Yahaba smiles at his screen, liking the photo and typing out a comment: `Hope you guys have fun`.

He checks the rest of his feed, then scrolls back to the top, smiling at the fact that Kyoutani's photo of Kenji is still up there. 

Yahaba has a part time job for the summer, shelving in the local library. It keeps him busy for most of the day, and so he doesn't get time to check his phone until he's on his lunch break. There's another photo, this time of Kenji sticking his head out of the window. The caption reads, `stuck in traffic. Kenji wants the breeze to come back`.

Grinning widely at his phone, Yahaba likes this photo as well. He's always liked Kyoutani's Instagram, mostly filled with photos and commentary on his dog. Kyoutani clearly adores Kenji, and Yahaba knows that from when he's been over to visit, as well. Kenji is a friendly, approachable dog—nothing like Kyoutani—and Yahaba adores him. Judging by the amount of attention his photos get whenever Kyoutani posts them on Instagram, Yahaba clearly isn't the only one.

It was posted a couple of hours ago, and Yahaba refreshes his feed just before his break ends, to find that Kyoutani's posted another photo. Kenji's at a park this time, a frisbee held in his mouth. Kyoutani's caption reads, `Break time`.

Yahaba hits like, and then puts his phone away before he returns to work.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He spends the rest of his day thinking about Kyoutani and Kenji, wondering what they're up to, and where they're going. 

He could always text Kyoutani and find out, he supposes. It's not as if either of them are strangers to texting each other. Third year had them growing closer to each other, and Yahaba would call Kyoutani a friend without hesitation now. Perhaps even a _good_ friend, because they've spent so much time with each other and they get each other, in a way that they never did a year ago. It's funny how much things can change.

When he finishes work, he has a message from Watari: `Have you seen Kyoutani's Insta???`

With a small huff of amusement, Yahaba replies, `I have`.

Watari sends another message almost immediately: `I didn't know he was going on a road trip!`

Walking out of the library, Yahaba bows to his supervisor with a polite smile, before turning back to his phone. `I did`.

He supposes that it's not so surprising. Kyoutani isn't really the type to openly share what he's doing with very many people. Yahaba tries not to think too deeply about the fact that of all the people Kyoutani shares things with, it's him. 

Watari doesn't seem particularly surprised about this either. The conversation drifts away from Kyoutani and they make plans for dinner instead. Yahaba checks his phone a few more times that afternoon, and Kyoutani must have posted a few photos at once because there are two photos of the scenery, from where he must have stopped at the side of the road. One is a grassy plain with trees growing here and there, and the other is the entrance to a forest. 

The third photo Kyoutani posts is a selfie of him with Kenji. He's wearing sunglasses, and he has Kenji pulled close. They both look happy, and Yahaba takes a screenshot of the picture without even stopping to second guess himself. He goes to his photo gallery, cropping everything else out so it's just the photo, and he smiles the entire way home. 

[](http://pugsephone.tumblr.com/post/146429034654/)

 

 

* * *

 

 

He supposes that he shouldn't even be surprised when Watari finds the photo saved on his phone. Yahaba and Watari have been best friends for years. Watari has absolutely no qualms in picking up Yahaba's phone, and taking advantage of the fact that Yahaba has been using the same phone password for years. 

"I knew it," Watari says proudly, holding Yahaba's phone up, to the photo he'd taken a screenshot of earlier. 

"What did you know?" Yahaba sighs, wondering if he can sneak chilli flakes into Watari's ramen bowl without being caught.

"You have a crush on Kyoutani," Watari says proudly.

Yahaba blinks, resting his chin on his hand. "And?"

Watari gapes at him with surprise. "Wow. That used to get a bigger reaction out of you."

"He's cute," Yahaba mutters, burying his face in his hands. "His dog's cute. I think I want to raise puppies with him." 

"Wow," Watari breathes, sitting back in his seat. "I don't know if I'm ready to be a dog uncle."

Yahaba kicks him under the table, laughing quietly. "Shut up. Let's talk about something else."

"Okay," Watari agrees, and changes the subject as easily as that. There's a good reason they've been best friends for so long. 

As he's taking the train home, he finds that Kyoutani's posted another photo. He's set up camp somewhere, with a tent and a fireplace, and the photo is of him and Kenji both lying on blankets near the fire. 

`It's a clear summer night. You can see the stars.`

Yahaba looks up, humming to himself as he picks out constellations that he learned when he was a child and wanted to be an astronaut. He lets himself imagine, for a moment, that he's there with Kyoutani and Kenji, by the warmth of the crackling fire, teaching Kyoutani how to identify constellations, and the stories behind them.

His chest fills with longing, and he strokes his thumb across the screen, scrolling down to leave a comment: `stargazing sounds like fun`.

Later that night, when Yahaba's in bed, he's checking his phone one last time before he goes to sleep. Kyoutani's posted a new photo, this time of the night sky. He must have used a special app for it, because the stars show up clearer than they would have in a normal photo. 

This time, the caption reads, `I should have asked you to come`.

With a deep breath, Yahaba hovers his thumb over the like button. He taps it, and then sends a text message to Kyoutani: `You should have`.

Kyoutani's reply is immediate. `Shit. I thought you were asleep already. I was gonna delete that`.

Yahaba feels nervous and excited all at once, at the confirmation that the caption _was_ directed at him. He types out, `Well, I saw it`.

`I mean it`, Kyoutani tells him, then sends another message. `I was gonna ask, in the park`.

Yahaba holds his phone to his chest, sighing quietly. There are so many things he wants to say, and he doesn't know where to start.

His phone buzzes again with another message. `Next time though. Or when I get back idk I wanna see you`.

`When you get back. Good night, Kyoutani`, Yahaba replies, smiling so hard that his cheeks are hurting. 

`Yeah. G'night. See you soon.`

[](http://pugsephone.tumblr.com/post/146429034654/)


End file.
